Chapter 28
"Anne Lei!"
Papasok na ako sa coffee shop but stopped on my tracks, still holding the door. Agad akong lumingon and saw Joseph running towards me.
Ang laki ng ngiti niya nang makalapit sa akin. Mas lalo tuloy sumingkit ang mga mata niya.
"What?" Tanong ko. Ngiting-ngiti kasi siya na para bang may na-discover na something amusing about me.
"Kaya ka ba inis sa akin kasi kapangalan ko ex mo?" He asked with a huge grin.
I never mentioned my ex to my new friends. I've been trying to avoid him as a subject. I don't want to open the door to that specific past. Kaya hindi ko alam kung saan na naman niya nasagap 'yan. Probably from Angel.
"Oh tapos?" Pumasok na ako sa loob ng coffee shop saka pumila sa counter. Sumunod lang siya sa akin.
"Wala lang. Curious lang kasi ako. Akala ko galit ka sa 'kin kasi ang gwapo ko," he mumbled. I rolled my eyes. Kapal. "Pero wag ka nang bitter. Move on ka na uy," he added. I rolled my eyes again. Sumasakit talaga ulo ko kapag kasama ko si Joseph. He's fun to be with at napapatawa niya ako pero mas madalas akong maasar sa kanya. Ewan ko. Life goal niya ata ang inisin ako every chance he gets.
"Bwisit ka. Inis ako sa 'yo kasi ang pangit mo," I said. But he just chuckled and started walking away.
When it was my turn at the counter ay napataas ang isang kilay ko nang makitang si Joseph na ang naroon. He owns this coffee shop kasi kaya kahit anong gawin niya dito ay okay lang. He's actually a CPA and is working at his Uncle's accounting firm just nearby. For 'extra income' niya daw itong coffee shop.
"Good morning, Lei," nakangiting bati niya. "Your usual?" He asked. Hindi na ako nagulat.
"Yeah," I just said. Nag-abot ako ng bayad for my coffee pero ayaw niya iyong tanggapin kaya sinamaan ko siya ng tingin. Ever since we became close, he doesn't want me to pay for my coffee. Sina Angel at ibang friends namin ay sinisingil niya. Ewan ko ba dito.
"Tatanggapin mo o di na kita kakausapin?" Tanong ko. Natawa pa siya saka pailing-iling na tinanggap ang bayad ko.
"Upo ka na, mahal na prinsesa. Hatid ko na lang mamaya order mo,"' he said smilingly after doing stuff.
Umalis na ako sa may counter at naupo sa bakanteng table for two. Hindi naman ako magtatagal dito at aalis rin maya-maya para hindi ako ma-late sa job interview ko, which is an hour from now.
As I sat, I saw a group of students sitting not too far away from me. Ang ilan sa kanila ay may ginagawa habang ang iba ay nag-uusap. Narinig ko pang nagpa-panic ang isa sabay sabing "guys, lapit na time. Shet. Pakibilisan baka ma-late pa tayo." Napangiti ako. They're probably cramming.
I couldn't help but think about how I was as a student. And thinking about it brought me into thinking about everything I went through almost six years ago.
After breaking up with him, I dropped out of school. I just can't stay there and be reminded of him. Masyado akong nasaktan. And leaving everything that has something to do with him was the first step I did to move on.
I stopped for a year and thought about what I really want. I kept myself busy para makalimot. Kung ano-anong short courses ang pinasukan ko para lang magka-idea kung ano ba talaga ang gusto ko. It was so hard because before, all I think about was following him. I realized I never really had a dream for myself. All the dreams I had before always involved him. And when we broke up, those dreams just vanished.
It was so hard trying to find myself. Kinailangan kong magsimula ulit. Puro trial and error, puro mix and match. It took me a lot of time to find something I'm interested to.
